A colorful, complex saga of civilizations inching toward conflict.
In Lawrence’s (Rising Star, 2014) fantasy sequel, humans, elves, and celestials continue preparing for total war with demonic hordes.
Asmod, Lord of the Hells, and his demons were defeated two millennia ago by the residents of the land of Elyshaeza. Elf soldier Na’lan Keldrin placed a Seal, gifted by the Seraphim and created by unknown means, over Asmod’s Breach, trapping him and keeping him from spreading his power. Now, attacks by demonic kureida have been ramping up, bolstering rumors that Asmod’s daughter, Helcol, is ready for a second War of the Races. Thankfully, several heroic factions are preparing for this challenge. The elf Ellina Alshavisin is about to leave the safety of Näenamarü Calaynin for the ancient Mithorin forest, hoping to find the Catharin, a reclusive elf tribe whose strength will be needed in the coming clash. Then there’s Artemis, a golden-skinned Glarent (a nonbinary celestial) who travels with human warriors Ishon-Zhrin and Taliyen. They aid the town of Ardall against nightly demon attacks. Elsewhere, in a tower called the Solver, celestial diplomat Gildas weighs the danger of allying against the demons with Yisrael, the leader of a violent celestial cult called the szazarsol, who may know more about Asmod’s banishment than he lets on. Meanwhile, the star Alovalianevansrae, which was “created from sealing Asmod in the Hells,” grows ever dimmer. For readers who love emotional turmoil as much as epic swordplay, author Lawrence’s second series installment provides both in abundance. He also presents foul creatures, such as gurgats, chitzriks, and flame devils, which cause havoc for secondary heroes such as Collie, a 15-year-old human girl whom the celestial Shri has chosen as his scribe, and Neil, a virtuous demon protecting the city of Notton. The author’s primary theme is the connectedness of all beings, regardless of origin, and Artemis illustrates this wonderfully when standing in awe of gigantic ghostly nature spirits. The author ends this installment by answering a central question, revealing a traitor, and teasing a new enemy for a future entry.
A colorful, complex saga of civilizations inching toward conflict.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-72509-042-2
Page Count: 342
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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